Необходимость создания национального ДНК-хранилища биологических образцов в Российской Федерации

The article examines the relevance of creating a national repository of biological samples collected from Russian citizens. International practices in the introduction and application of proactive DNA-based human identification are analyzed. Information is provided about existing molecular genetic databanks, including one of the largest in the world – the UK National DNA Database containing over 6 million genetic profiles. Availability of reference samples for comparison helps in the identification of evidence found at the scene and thus contributes to effective crime detection. Authors point out the lack of uniform standards for human DNA marker analysis both in Russia and abroad, which significantly complicates DNA identification of biological material. Once a national databank of biological samples is established, the absence of a universally recognized DNA profiling system would be rendered irrelevant. Successful achievement of this objective relies on the use of the most effective and affordable method for collection and long-term storage of genetic material in dry form, i.e. collection paper cards (DNA cards).В статье рассматривается актуальность создания национального хранилища биологических образцов граждан Российской Федерации. Проанализирован мировой опыт становления и применения упреждающей молекулярно-генетической идентификации личности. Приведены сведения о существующих банках данных ДНК, в том числе о Национальной базе ДНК Великобритании – одной из самых больших в мире, содержащей более 6 миллионов генетических профилей. Имеющийся сравнительный материал позволяет идентифицировать объекты, обнаруженные на месте происшествия, что способствует успешному раскрытию преступлений. Авторы обращают внимание на отсутствие единого стандарта исследования ДНК-маркеров человека не только в Российской Федерации, но и во всем мире, что существенно затрудняет ДНК-идентификацию биологического материала.Показано, что создание банка данных биологических образцов позволит устранить проблему отсутствия общепризнанной системы генотипирования ДНК. Для реализации поставленной задачи необходимо использовать наиболее эффективный и доступный способ сбора и длительного хранения генетического материала в сухом виде – на бумажном носителе (ДНК-карте)

О лицензировании работ в области молекулярно-генетических экспертиз

The question of whether it is appropriate to classify genetic examinations of kinship as a medical service is considered in the article. Establishment of identity of an unknown individual (alive or dead) with a specific person is a classic example of forensic medical genetic examination. At the same time an examination on establishment of biological kinship of people whose identity is known and doesn’t demand identification cannot be classified as an identificational. That is the study of human DNA to establish kinship cannot be referred to as a class of medical examinations. Forensic medical examination (including genetic) is a type of medical activity which is carried out by a medical organization and therefore needs licensing. However, if an examination is not carried out in a medical organization and there is no word “medical” in the name such an examination cannot be considered as a medical activity and doesn’t need licensing exactly as it is arranged in expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation at this point. Such examinations can be considered as a type of forensic biological expertise.Рассмотрен вопрос о целесообразности отнесения генетических экспертиз по установлению родства к медицинской услуге. Определение тождества неизвестного живого или умершего индивидуума с конкретным человеком является классическим примером судебно-медицинской генетической экспертизы. В то же время экспертизу по установлению биологического родства людей, личность которых известна и не требует идентификации, нельзя отнести к идентификационной. То есть исследование ДНК человека с целью установления степени родства некорректно относить к классу медицинских экспертиз. Судебно-медицинская экспертиза (в том числе генетическая) является одним из видов медицинской деятельности, осуществляемой медицинской организацией, и, следовательно, нуждается в лицензировании. Однако если экспертиза проводится не в медицинской организации и в ее названии нет слова «медицинская», то такая экспертиза не может считаться медицинской деятельностью и не нуждается в лицензировании, как это сейчас и есть в экспертных учреждениях МВД России. Такие исследования можно рассматривать как род судебно-биологических экспертиз

Y-Chromosome Haplogroup Diversity in Khazar Burials from Southern Russia

Genetic studies of archaeological burials open up new possibilities for investigating the cultural-historical development of ancient populations, providing objective data that can be used to investigate the most controversial problems of archeology. In this work, we analyzed the Y-chromosomes of nine skeletons recovered from elite burial mounds attributed to the 7th-9th centuries of the Khazar Khaganate in the modern Rostov region. Genotyping of polymorphic microsatellite loci of the Y chromosome made it possible to establish that among the nine skeletons studied, three individuals had R1a Y-haplogroup, two had C2b, and one each had G2a, N1a, Q, and R1b Y-haplogroups. Such results were noteworthy for the mixture of West Eurasian and East Asian paternal lineages in these samples. The Y-chromosome data are consistent with the results of the craniological study and genome-wide analysis of the same individuals in showing mixed genetic origins for the early medieval Khazar nobility. These findings are not surprising in light of the history of the Khazar Khaganate, which arose through its separation from the Western Turkic Khaganate and establishment in the North Caucasus and East European steppes

Socio-psychological factors that contribute to and impede the process of student eco-vocational consciousness formation

© Foundation Environmental Protection & Research-FEPR. The relevance of the issue under study is caused by the need to form a new socio-psychological paradigm in the field of environmental education. It was clearly shown by the beginning of the new millennium, that the current environmental education is based on analytical knowledge of nature, which is pragmatically narrow and consumer-oriented, and therefore it could not fundamentally change the worldview of a significant part of the population. As a result, there is an objective need for a transition to a qualitatively new stage in its development. The purpose of the article is to determine the socio-psychological factors that contribute to and hinder the formation of eco-vocational consciousness of students. The study methods: The leading method for studying this issue is modeling, which allows considering the socio-psychological factors that contribute to and hinder the purposeful formation of eco-vocational consciousness structural components. The article identifies the main factors contributing to the process of eco-vocational consciousness formation: the need for a value orientation for the co-evolution of man and the biosphere; the ability of the individual of perceiving, experiencing and comprehension the relationship between the current environmental situation and occupational activities; the willingness of specialists to consciously implement environmentally reasonable occupational activities; public interest in the knowledge, transformation and maintenance of the environment in optimal condition and other significant factors. The factors that prevent the formation of eco-vocational consciousness are identified: the absence of a state customer for an ecologically-oriented vocational education; weak linkage of environmental training with vocational training; poor scientific and methodical provision of environmental orientation in vocational training, theoretical and methodical foundations for organizing the integration of environmental and vocational training; the need to coordinate and manage the system of electronic training, the creation of didactic complexes, appropriate methods. The data obtained in the work can be used in education to build effective educational programs for the development of eco-vocational consciousness; in practical psychology, in ecological psychology, as well as for further theoretical development of this issue

Socio-psychological factors that contribute to and impede the process of student eco-vocational consciousness formation

© Foundation Environmental Protection & Research-FEPR. The relevance of the issue under study is caused by the need to form a new socio-psychological paradigm in the field of environmental education. It was clearly shown by the beginning of the new millennium, that the current environmental education is based on analytical knowledge of nature, which is pragmatically narrow and consumer-oriented, and therefore it could not fundamentally change the worldview of a significant part of the population. As a result, there is an objective need for a transition to a qualitatively new stage in its development. The purpose of the article is to determine the socio-psychological factors that contribute to and hinder the formation of eco-vocational consciousness of students. The study methods: The leading method for studying this issue is modeling, which allows considering the socio-psychological factors that contribute to and hinder the purposeful formation of eco-vocational consciousness structural components. The article identifies the main factors contributing to the process of eco-vocational consciousness formation: the need for a value orientation for the co-evolution of man and the biosphere; the ability of the individual of perceiving, experiencing and comprehension the relationship between the current environmental situation and occupational activities; the willingness of specialists to consciously implement environmentally reasonable occupational activities; public interest in the knowledge, transformation and maintenance of the environment in optimal condition and other significant factors. The factors that prevent the formation of eco-vocational consciousness are identified: the absence of a state customer for an ecologically-oriented vocational education; weak linkage of environmental training with vocational training; poor scientific and methodical provision of environmental orientation in vocational training, theoretical and methodical foundations for organizing the integration of environmental and vocational training; the need to coordinate and manage the system of electronic training, the creation of didactic complexes, appropriate methods. The data obtained in the work can be used in education to build effective educational programs for the development of eco-vocational consciousness; in practical psychology, in ecological psychology, as well as for further theoretical development of this issue

The Case for Creating a National DNA Repository of Biological Samples in the Russian Federation

The article examines the relevance of creating a national repository of biological samples collected from Russian citizens. International practices in the introduction and application of proactive DNA-based human identification are analyzed. Information is provided about existing molecular genetic databanks, including one of the largest in the world – the UK National DNA Database containing over 6 million genetic profiles. Availability of reference samples for comparison helps in the identification of evidence found at the scene and thus contributes to effective crime detection. Authors point out the lack of uniform standards for human DNA marker analysis both in Russia and abroad, which significantly complicates DNA identification of biological material. Once a national databank of biological samples is established, the absence of a universally recognized DNA profiling system would be rendered irrelevant. Successful achievement of this objective relies on the use of the most effective and affordable method for collection and long-term storage of genetic material in dry form, i.e. collection paper cards (DNA cards)

Sox9 Accelerates Vascular Ageing by Regulating Extracellular Matrix Composition and Stiffness

BACKGROUND: Vascular calcification and increased extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness are hallmarks of vascular aging. Sox9 (SRY-box transcription factor 9) has been implicated in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) osteo/chondrogenic conversion; however, its relationship with aging and calcification has not been studied. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was performed on human aortic samples from young and aged patients. Young and senescent primary human VSMCs were induced to produce ECM, and Sox9 expression was manipulated using adenoviral overexpression and depletion. ECM properties were characterized using atomic force microscopy and proteomics, and VSMC phenotype on hydrogels and the ECM were examined using confocal microscopy. RESULTS: In vivo, Sox9 was not spatially associated with vascular calcification but correlated with the senescence marker p16 (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A). In vitro Sox9 showed mechanosensitive responses with increased expression and nuclear translocation in senescent cells and on stiff matrices. Sox9 was found to regulate ECM stiffness and organization by orchestrating changes in collagen (Col) expression and reducing VSMC contractility, leading to the formation of an ECM that mirrored that of senescent cells. These ECM changes promoted phenotypic modulation of VSMCs, whereby senescent cells plated on ECM synthesized from cells depleted of Sox9 returned to a proliferative state, while proliferating cells on a matrix produced by Sox9 expressing cells showed reduced proliferation and increased DNA damage, reiterating features of senescent cells. LH3 (procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 3) was identified as an Sox9 target and key regulator of ECM stiffness. LH3 is packaged into extracellular vesicles and Sox9 promotes extracellular vesicle secretion, leading to increased LH3 deposition within the ECM. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the crucial role of ECM structure and composition in regulating VSMC phenotype. We identify a positive feedback cycle, whereby cellular senescence and increased ECM stiffening promote Sox9 expression, which, in turn, drives further ECM modifications to further accelerate stiffening and senescence.</p

On the Licensing of Forensic DNA Analysis Activities

The question of whether it is appropriate to classify genetic examinations of kinship as a medical service is considered in the article. Establishment of identity of an unknown individual (alive or dead) with a specific person is a classic example of forensic medical genetic examination. At the same time an examination on establishment of biological kinship of people whose identity is known and doesn’t demand identification cannot be classified as an identificational. That is the study of human DNA to establish kinship cannot be referred to as a class of medical examinations. Forensic medical examination (including genetic) is a type of medical activity which is carried out by a medical organization and therefore needs licensing. However, if an examination is not carried out in a medical organization and there is no word “medical” in the name such an examination cannot be considered as a medical activity and doesn’t need licensing exactly as it is arranged in expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation at this point. Such examinations can be considered as a type of forensic biological expertise

Structural and Functional Organization of the Mitochondrial DNA Control Region in the Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.The woolly mammoth mitochondrial genome (including the Malolyakhovsky mammoth) has been previously sequenced, followed by the annotation of all its genes (MF770243). In this study, based on the Malolyakhovsky mammoth, we describe for the first time the sites of functional significance in the control region of the woolly mammoth mitogenome

Complete mitochondrial genome of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) from Maly Lyakhovsky Island (New Siberian Islands, Russia) and its phylogenetic assessment

We present a complete sequence and an annotation of the mitochondrial genome of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) found in 2012 on Maly Lyakhovsky Island (North-Eastern Siberia, Russia). The genome was 16,851 bp long and contained 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and 2 rRNA genes. It was AT reach (61.3%) with A = 32.9%, T = 28.4%, C = 25.3%, and G = 13.4%. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group